Here are the squads that two Tottenham Hotspur reporters would pick for Friday’s FA Cup third round match against Burnley at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The FA Cup third round begins this weekend, which is a significant weekend in sports. Ange Postecoglou‘s Tottenham face Burnley at home on Friday evening, after the introduction of Premier League and Championship sides at this level of the campaign.
Spurs, who departed the Carabao Cup at the first attempt in late August, will be keen to avoid another early exit as they aim to go all the way and secure a place at Wembley in May. An opportunity for Postecoglou to tamper with his Tottenham XI, the 58-year-old has few choices to pick from due to the club’s injury list and international commitments.
So, who will Postecoglou pick in his Tottenham Hotspur team for the 8 p.m. kickoff in north London? Our Tottenham Hotspur reporters at football.london have named their team to face Vincent Kompany‘s Clarets.
Tottenham Hotspur correspondent- Alasdair Gold
Ange Postecoglou will have to choose between giving some players minutes and risking weakening his Tottenham Hotspur club to the point where they exit the only cup competition they can win.
Fraser Forster will have earned some playing time, and he must be maintained sharp in case Guglielmo Vicario misses a few Premier League games. I’d want to see Ashley Phillips or Alfie Dorrington get some game experience because their prospects of playing for the first team are going to be limited soon due to the return of Micky van de Ven and then Cristian Romero, as well as the introduction of a new center-back.
Destiny Udogie required treatment late in the game against Bournemouth, and Postecoglou may rest him with Emerson Royal on the left if a young defender or Eric Dier is used alongside Ben Davies.
With Son Heung-min, Pape Matar Sarr, and Yves Bissouma out, Oliver Skipp might return to midfield like he did on Sunday, with Dejan Kulusevski returning from suspension and moving back into the front three.
Gold’s team: Forster; Porro, Phillips, Davies, Emerson; Skipp, Bentancur, Lo Celso; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Johnson.
Tottenham Hotspur reporter- Rob Guest
As Ange Postecoglou selects his Tottenham XI to face Burnley, it will be all about striking the proper balance. Spurs can win the FA Cup this season, and despite their place in the Premier League’s bottom three, they must not underestimate Burnley.
That implies a few tweaks here and there rather than comprehensive alterations, which Postecoglou is unlikely to make given the number of absent players he is now dealing with. The first substitution is in goal, when Fraser Forster takes over for Guglielmo Vicario.
Ashley Phillips makes his full Tottenham debut after spending the majority of his time on the bench after joining from Burnley’s rivals Blackburn Rovers in the summer. Dejan Kulusevski returns to the starting lineup after serving a one-match suspension to partner Rodrigo Bentancur and Giovani Lo Celso in the middle of the park.
Finally, Bryan Gil will get an opportunity to make his case to Postecoglou if he is given the left flank spot in Son Heung-min’s absence.
Guest’s team: Forster; Porro, Phillips, Davies, Udogie; Bentancur, Lo Celso, Kulusevski; Johnson, Richarlison, Gil.
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